Short Story Competition in association with the Evening Post
Budding crime writers can show off their skills by entering the Reading Festival of Crime Writing’s Short Story Competition.
Entries must be a completion of the introduction written by Val McDermid:
“Blame is always arbitrary; trace any event back and suddenly it becomes obvious that there are dozens of points where a tiny shift of circumstance could have altered the outcome. The flap of the butterfly’s wing, the choice of the road less travelled by, the wrong smile – all equally treacherous”
The Prize
The winner will have their story published in the Evening Post and be presented with their prize of three pairs of tickets to the Reading Comedy Festival, taking place in October, by Val McDermid on Saturday 13 September at the Town Hall, Reading.
Rules:
Entrants must be 16 or over.
Entries must be no longer than 1,500 words and written in English.
Entries must not have been previously published in any format.
Entries must be submitted alongside a completed entry form (only one entry per person). Copies of the entry form are available from
Info@readingfestivalofcrimewriting.org.uk or from Reading Central Library.
Entries will be judged anonymously. Please do not write your name or contact details on the story. The title of your story must appear on each page submitted.
Entries can be typed or clearly handwritten on A4 paper.
The closing date is Friday 29 August. Entries will not be accepted after this date. Please keep a copy of your story, as your entry cannot be returned.
The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Entries can be handed in at any Reading Borough Library, posted to: Reading Festival of Crime Writing, Short Story Competition, Reading Central Library, Abbey Square, Reading, RG1 3BQ or e-mailed as an attachment to townhall.admin@reading.gov.uk in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
Copyright remains with the author, but the Evening Post reserves the right to publish the winning entry in any format.
